Hyderabad: Malkajgiri police arrested six persons, including a man and his three sons, on charges of abetting the suicide of a septuagenarian.
The accused had got a plot belonging to D. Jagannath registered in 2010 by mentioning Rs 29.3 lakh in the registration documents but had paid him only Rs 6.1 lakh.
Jagannath, 75, lived in NMDC Colony of Malkajgiri. He sold 110 square yards of land in Musheerabad to his relatives in the year 2000. The price was fixed at Rs 6.1 lakh. He was given cash in several instalments until 2004, and then the land was registered in the buyer’s name.
A week ago, Jagannath received notice from the income-tax department seeking an explanation for his alleged misconduct. The I-T department had found from the records that the land was sold for Rs 29.3 lakh, but he had failed to pay capital gains tax.
Shocked, Jagannath went to his relatives and asked them for a clarification. They didn’t respond properly and asked him to deal with the notice.
Jagannath then committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling of his house. He left a note, alleging that six of his relatives were responsible for his death.
Malkajgiri inspector A. Man Mohan said the price had been agreed upon orally and no written document was made. “In 2010, he registered the land in the relatives’ name, but he did not know that the registration value was put at Rs 29.3 lakh,” he said. The registration document contained the same information but was concealed from Jagannath.
“Recently, the I-T department issued notice to him, seeking for an explanation regarding tax evasion,” said the inspector. “He felt helpless as his relatives did not respond and asked him to deal with it personally. He left a suicide note mentioning the names of six men as responsible for his death and committed suicide when his wife Laxmi and son Madhusudhan were asleep.”
Based on a complaint by his son, the accused persons, C. Sekharaiah and his sons C. Srinu, C. Mahesh and C. Raghu, nephews M. Satyan-arayana and P. Balaraju, were booked under IPC Section 306 and remanded in judicial custody on Sunday, said the inspector.
